ISHTA means INDIVIDUAL

Because I teach ISHTA yoga and the word ISHTA means individual I have been looking at my personal practice over the last few months and really asking on a very deep level “what do I need as an individual?” This month I have been developing more softness in my practice with a sequence that cools me down and quiets my mind. The sun salutations have taken a backseat to hip openers and forward bends and my meditation is also very relaxed. I have been physically bowing down and imagining myself at the lotus feet of an energy beyond my comprehension.

Today after my practice I found myself contemplating the nature of the witness and also reflecting on some writings by Swami Nisreyasananda from his book ‘Supermarket of Ideas.’ I just finished reading a chapter where he talks about the yogic philosophies of Samkhya (dualism) and Vedanta (non-dualism) in relationship to who is watching whom, where do we focus our energy and attention in every day life, and the nature of surrender.

In my understanding we are patchwork quilt of our experiences; karma, dharma, life force, Mother Nature, ego, mind, intellect and wisdom. Our mind, as an aspect of that complexity, engages us with the intensity of the outer world or through focused practices enables us to withdraw deeply into ourselves. Once we turn inwards a force, which we cannot name, witnesses the mind. In Samkhya this witness is called, Purusha.

In Samkhya they say our individual spirits are different. To me this makes sense because how I experience myself witnessing myself has individual attributes and qualities. But then something must also observe my individual consciousness watching itself. In Tantra this higher witness is called ‘Shiva’. Shiva is not just watching me, ‘it’ is watching everyone. Just as a muscle sheath contains thousands of small fibres, with each fibre controlling a different micro movement, so Shiva as consciousness envelops and watches the individual spirits. We can bow down to this force through pure devotion and say, “you are the witness of everyone, you hold the big picture, I surrender my individual consciousness to you and you lead me.”


Perhaps the Ishta Devata (individualised deity) then is the vibration of that individualised spirit. It is the quality of each individual consciousness. If my Ishta for example is Ganesh then perhaps my spirit comes from the perspective of removing obstacles, and everything is seen through that lens. When chanting Ganesh’s mantra I vibrate at the same frequency as my spirit and am pulled like a magnet towards greater consciousness (Shiva), Shiva being the pseudo father of Ganesh and the father of all deities and energies.

From this philosophical viewpoint then being an individual is extremely important and the development of your individuality through creativity, sensuality, enjoyment, and struggle, suffering, emotional, physical and mental challenges creates an interesting vibration that contributes to the whole. This is the anthesis of spiritual philosophies that ask us to remove ourselves from our attachments and our struggles to achieve enlightenment.

The beauty of honouring individuality means that even the approach to resolving tension is a very personal one. For example: You can witness yourself in any given situation and remain detached or you can ‘rage against the machine’ or even practice active surrender to Ishvara, which in the Sutras is called ‘Ishvara pranidhana’. Ishvara is said to be the teacher of teachers living in a timeless realm.

Swami Nisreyasananda describes Ishvara as “a total fund of perfection, of power, wisdom and glory, not increased by disciplines in time nor decreased by failure to discipline in time. Time doesn’t act on it at all. Such a perfect existence being there any teacher can tune himself to it and get at his place a manifestation of glory.”

It is in this seed of perfection that we can find ourselves in spite of our craziness, our fears and our STUFF, a seed waiting to be watered by the pure act of surrendering ourselves to whatever happens in life.

And isn’t that a daily fluctuation? The mind is moving as fast as it can to keep up with the events that occur and we react so often from our patterns and beliefs rather than just being with the moment’s ever-changing expression.

As I experience it, yoga practice is the opportunity to train my spirit to focus its lens on living, and at the same time to merge back with an all-encompassing consciousness, allowing for watching and being watched. When I immerse myself in moments of stillness and surrender, I notice that my reactions are less unconscious and more considered and that the events that come toward me are more joyful and freeing. In fact the events themselves seem to be conspiring towards my happiness. My practice therefore is inspired by my individuality, and I see it as a creative evolution, remaining free and open to what I need in any particular moment.